Introduction: Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, has led to widespread logging interventions in subtropical China, especially clearcutting, yet the ecological consequences for insect communities remain poorly understood. Insects play critical roles in ecosystem functioning, making it essential to quantify how different logging strategies shape their diversity, community composition, and functional guilds.Methods: We established 48 stratified plots across four PWD-affected counties in Jiangxi Province to compare unlogged controls (UC), selection cutting (SC), and clearcutting (CC) treatments. Insect diversity was evaluated using Shannon and Simpson indices, while community structure was analyzed with PERMANOVA and NMDS ordinations. Indicator species were identified via IndVal analysis. Functional guild dynamics were measured across trophic groups, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess vegetation cover and litter thickness as mediators of diversity responses.Results: Clearcutting caused significant declines in insect diversity (Shannon index: UC 3.63 ± 0.02 vs. CC 3.14 ± 0.18; F = 19.17, p = 0.00057; Simpson index: UC 0.960 vs. CC 0.919). PERMANOVA attributed 60.7–89.5% of variation in insect community structure to logging treatment (p < 0.05), with NMDS ordinations showing distinct clustering: CC sites were dominated by disturbance-tolerant taxa (e.g., Cicindelidae, IndVal = 0.94), while UC sites harboured specialists (e.g., Libellulidae, IndVal = 0.95). Functional guild analysis revealed strong reductions in predators (−63.7%) and parasitoids (p < 0.001) under CC, whereas decomposers were relatively resilient. SEM demonstrated that vegetation cover (β = 0.69, p < 0.001) and litter thickness (β = 0.25, p = 0.041) acted as key mediators, with logging intensity indirectly depressing insect diversity via microhabitat degradation (model R² = 0.81).Discussion and conclusion: Our findings show that intensive clearcutting exacerbates biodiversity loss and trophic collapse in insect communities of PWD-affected pine forests, largely through reductions in vegetation structure and litter. In contrast, lighter interventions such as selection cutting supported greater ecological resilience. To balance disease control with biodiversity conservation, retention forestry practices maintaining ≥30% canopy cover and 20–30 m³/ha deadwood are recommended to buffer microhabitats and sustain insect community functioning.

In order to study the key gene in internal causes of pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, a departure from its vector beetle, Monochamus alternatus, we collected PWNs extracted from newly emerged M. alternatus and beetles 7 days after emergence. The total RNAs of the two groups of PWNs were extracted, transcriptomes sequencing was performed, and gene expression differences between the two groups of PWN were analyzed. It was found that the expression of the choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase gene (pcyt-1) was markedly up-regulated. After inhibition of pcyt-1 expression by RNA interference, the rate of lipid degradation in PWN decreased significantly, and the motility of PWN also decreased significantly. The analysis identified that phosphatidylcholine could promote the emulsification and degradation of neutral lipid granules in PWN, which provides sufficient energy for PWN departure from M. alternatus. The up-regulation of the gene pcyt-1 is an important internal factor for PWN departure from its vector.

In this study, the separation conditions of UHPLC-QTOF-MS and the extraction conditions of QuEChERS were optimized. The analytical process for determining Broflanilide residues in different soil types was successfully established and applied to its adsorption, desorption, and leaching in soil. Broflanilide was extracted from soil with acetonitrile and purified using PSA and MgSO₄. The modified UHPLC-QTOF-MS method was used for quantification. The average recovery of Broflanilide was between 87.7% and 94.38%, with the RSD lower than 7.6%. In the analysis of adsorption, desorption, and leaching quantities in four soil types, the RSD was less than 9.2%, showing good stability of the method, which can be applied to determine the residue of Broflanilide in different soils.